Exactly 100 years ago, the first round of the German Motorcycle Championship took place in Schleiz. The top category at the time was Class 4B, featuring non-tax-exempt motorcycles with engines over 500 cc. The race consisted of 25 laps, totaling 200 kilometers. The winner was Toni Bauhofer on a Megola. He also achieved the fastest average speed of the day at 78 km/h. Now, 100 years later, the motorcycles in the top class have over 200 hp and reach speeds of at least 300 km/h. And the winner of the first IDM Superbike race of the day is Ilya Mikhalchik. The Ukrainian (Champion Alpha Van Zon) has thus regained the lead in the overall standings. Second place went to guest rider Markus Reiterberger (Masteroil by MRP). Florian Alt (Holzhauer Racing Promotion) finished third.
On the starting grid, guest rider Markus Reiterberger was asked about the grip on the track: “Grip? Well, it’s okay.” A few minutes later, the 30-year-old four-time Superbike champion had already taken the lead. The crowd favorite had started from third position. By the third lap, reigning Honda champion Florian Alt was out in front. He had passed “Reiti” with a flawless move. The two were locked in a battle of equals, and Alt had been looking forward to it. But the duel took a lot of effort. “And I almost crashed two or three times,” he said after the race.
In the background, Mikhalchik waited, his driving style radiating pure composure. His patience would pay off. He trailed the league leader, Florian Alt, by a mere two championship points. Reiti was a non-factor; as a guest driver, he didn’t earn any points. So Mikhalchik’s motto was to stay calm. But it was clear that the 27-year-old BMW rider still had something up his sleeve. If only for the sake of his pride, he wanted to win and finish ahead of Reiterberger. And Mikhalchik was indeed shrewd enough to first take on Alt and later the Bavarian. By the twelfth lap, he had achieved his goal and taken the lead. Now, nothing could stop him from the finish line. It was Mikhalchik’s fourth win of the season.
Reiterberger’s team, led by chief mechanic Wolfgang Kampe, had spent the last 24 hours fine-tuning the completely rebuilt BMW. Reiti hadn’t been at all satisfied yesterday, “but now the bike is on par with the 2022 model.” He added, “I wanted to counter Ilya’s pass, but one of us had to give way; otherwise, we’d both have ended up in the pack.”
Jan-Ole Jähnig, who had sprinted to the front row in yesterday’s Superpole, had to settle for a lower position. The Thuringian from Lehndorf botched the first few meters. In the end, he crossed the finish line in a trio with his GERT56 teammates Patrick Hobelsberger and Toni Finsterbusch.
Luca Grünwald (BCC Alpha Ilmberger Carbon Racing Team) is delighted. After switching to BMW, he achieved his best result to date today following a very difficult start to the season. Hannes Soomer (Enos Motorsport) crashed in qualifying and started from 15th place, but fought his way up to eighth. His mother back home in Estonia must have been thrilled. It’s because of her that the BMW is smurf blue, “so she can always spot me in the stream.”
IDM Superbike, Race 1
1. Ilya MIKHALCHIK (UKR), BMW
2. Markus REITERBERGER (GER), BMW
3. Florian ALT (GER), Honda
4. Patrick HOBELSBERGER (GER), BMW
5. Toni FINSTERBUSCH (GER), BMW
6. Jan-Ole JÄHNIG (GER), BMW
7. Leandro MERCADO (ARG), Kawasaki
8. Hannes SOOMER (EST), BMW
9. Bálint KOVÁCS (HUN), BMW
10. Luca GRÜNWALD (GER), BMW
11. Thomas GRADINGER (AUT), Yamaha
12. Philipp STEINMAYR (AUT), BMW
13. Colin VELTHUIZEN (NLD), BMW
14. Milan MERCKELBAGH (NLD), BMW,
15. Maximilian KOFLER (AUT), Yamaha